Touhou Kurenai no Nami
by Sumire Kaika
Summary: At a calm sunset, Koishi feels the need to watch the falling sun with a companion.


Author's Note: Hello. This is my first non-shoujo-ai Touhou fanfic. I didn't intend it to be very professional, much alike the rest of my fanfics, so please, as always, don't expect too much from it. But regardless, I hope you like it to an extent!

~Sumire

~Touhou Kurenai no Nami~

「Eastern Scarlet Waves」

In daylight, no-one suspected her abrupt departure.

She had to be strongly cautious at first: The maids sometimes lurked around every turn of each hallway regardless of what time of day or night it was - and at that point in time, they were eagerly watching the corridors. The fairy maids fluttered about, some of them keeping a curious eye on the basement door, in fact. She managed not to make a single creak when she lifted her feet off the stone steps, taking firm control of the door and turning it aside. She closed the door in the same fashion, leaving no evidence as she darted up to the ceiling, concealing herself from another passing maid. When the coast was clear and the hallway stood in plain view, she crept along the overhead surface past the decorative fixtures, careful not to make a suspicious gesture. It was only a few minutes until the streaming beams of sunlight from the exit came into her perspective, and she relaxed.

_Here it is._

Parasol held timidly by her head, Flandre went on to adapt to a new worldly view of Gensokyo.

It was the early morning - mid-sunrise, to be exact - and the sight was too mesmerisingly sharp for Flandre to see directly. Keeping the parasol held at an angle, Flandre approached the lake. Misty Lake, as denoted by the frail wooden sign closely lodged before the edge, gently flowing and clean.

The lake was some distance from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and as Flandre glanced back towards the way she came, a shiver ran down her spine. She hoped no-one knew of her escape.

While Flandre stepped closer to the edge, Cirno was taken aback by the winged vampire approaching the wide and open lake.

'Wh-Who are you?' Cirno asked in a panic. Daiyousei slapped the ice fairy's arm playfully, smiling.

'It's Flan-chan, silly. Don't the wings tell you anything?'

Cirno rubbed her arm, embarrassed. 'O-Oh...'

Frowning, Flandre slowly angled the parasol to the point she could see either of the fairies' faces.

'Ohayou, Cirno-chan, Dai-chan.'

Daiyousei smiled warmly, giggling, and returned the greeting. Cirno looked about worriedly, fiddling with her dress.

'Wri-chan and Mys-chan are around, but Rumi disappeared...' the ice fairy murmured.

Concern washed over Flandre's face. The mist surrounding the lake obscured the beauty of the sunrise, allowing the petite vampire to lower the umbrella.

'Rumi? Disappeared?'

'Yup,' Cirno affirmed. 'Mys-chan says she fell into the lake, but we couldn't find her when we went below.'

Flandre blinked, staring into the reflection of the sky glimmering in the water's surface, which also presented no reflection of Flandre herself.

'I wonder.'

Daiyousei giggled, a little more loudly so. 'Anyway, she'll reappear soon, won't she? She's Rumia-chan, after all!'

Daiyousei's smile wasn't even a little disconcerting, and so Flandre nodded. 'Okay.'

The uncertain Cirno agreed also despite her anxiety, and fluttered around to gesture that she wanted to play around the lake. Lacking objection, Flandre closed the umbrella to take off into the air with the fairies, and neither fairy questioned her unusual and early absence from the basement.

'Today, we'll play 'Fly Into the Air As Far As You Can'!' Cirno declared joyously. Daiyousei sighed at the smaller fairy's game selection, and Flandre unconsciously nodded. Mystia Lorelei and Wriggle Nightbug joined the party later as the three gathered wind hopelessly, and the five set off high up into the Gensokyo clouds.

Flandre found this an enjoyable experience - Remilia, her older sister, had always tried to object to her desires of wanting to play outside freely. Flandre resorted to being restricted in the basement making the stone walls the sky's limit. However, today, Flandre was zipping off into the distance with a sense of heart-quickening ease, and her happy emotion was frantic.

But - onee-sama, the sun isn't out today! I promise I won't go through the mist! I promise!

Flandre's lip quivered in the misty wind of sunrise. Why does onee-sama always have to be self-centered?- she thought with a huff.

_You remember Icarus and Daedalus, don't you, Flan?_

That's right! Icarus and Daedalus: the tale about the boy with wings… _Uh, what happened in it, again?_

Somehow, Flandre could feel the boundary in her reach. The boundary surrounding the wave of the lake's mist, represented by a simple, immaterial curve amidst the air.

It was sunrise.

_Given wings, he was set aflame by the sun once approached. To be able to fly is a graceful gift - Flan-chan, why misuse it?_

Flandre's joyful smile contorted into a squirming expression of panic … but the boundary had long gone. Her momentum was still strong, but there was no way of keeping it up. The sun's heatwaves were powerful - too powerful. The weakness in Flandre's limbs led her to retrace the way she flew… gravitating back to the shimmering stream of Misty Lake.

Void.

But - Flandre Scarlet is a vampire; she couldn't drown so easily in the midst of a simple, everyday breath's minuscule duration! But… that was what the facts told.

Void.

The vampire, writhing in the waves of fear and the unknown, stared up at the lake's surface. It was meters away, but even if she tried she could never get another breath of the morning's fresh air. The void below welcomed her, yet Flandre had never felt so unwelcome.

She felt her heart shrink,

and shrink,

and shrink…

Into a world never genuinely known once before, but only by those who inhabit that space for centuries long.

Into a world where Flandre would learn a lot more than she already knew.

Out of the two Komeiji sisters, Koishi was the most favoured.

Her reluctance to use her Third Eye, leading her to seal it, gave herself a brighter outlook on life, other fellow inhabitants, and even her own sister. Koishi insisted that Satori brighten herself also, but the older sister remained hesitant.

One evening, the young Komeiji brought herself to her sightseeing paradise.

The paradise, proclaimed by Koishi as so, was somewhere else entirely - not located in Chireiden grounds at all.

The oldest Yakumo, Yukari, decided not to prohibit movement between boundaries of space and time nor, as Koishi desired, to move towards a vacant spot in the Outside World. The spot in the Outside World was spectacularly eastern as Yukari had described, giving Koishi more of a reason to go there.

A coast of a country, quiet and peaceful, had the young mind-reader sitting upon it. Her legs bent, she stared off the coast with her chin resting between her raised knees, the hat she was wearing casting a gloomy shadow over her face particularly. Soon it was to be sunset, and the girl eagerly could not wait. She previously had a visitor, also, who had spoken in mere garbage such as 'I am the true reincarnation of Christ' and 'I hope this cute red bowtie does not detract from my evident wonder'. Koishi shook her head. She needed the right person to watch the sunset with.

Through the ripples of the ocean, Koishi noticed the looming sun tremble. It was a beautiful sun, Koishi thought, but it was only one of the many thousands that the pet, Reiuji, could produce as a _yatagarasu_. Now, as it faded, Koishi shuddered since no-one sat beside her. Komeiji Satori declined the offer to visit her here and neither of the pets were interested.

She sighed, and waited as patiently as she could.

'Where am I…?'

Flandre wandered the sandy shores alone. In a few minutes she had trailed off the grassy path earlier, hoping to avoid what was a working civilisation behind her, and travelled towards the distant horizon. She recalled what Remilia had informed Flandre about interacting with humans, and Flandre immediately sworn to have wanted none of it.

'Anyone…?'

Flandre could still feel the burns of the boiling sun from above Misty Lake. She was certain they'd heal, but they'd heal with time. Bright sunlight was no ally of a vampire.

Leaving footprints in the sand - Flandre had soon realised she was barefoot - the vampire set off westward as close as she could to the sun's location. The area reminded her of a beach that she once visited with her older sister; only once. It was true to this area as well, for this took the very appearance of a similar beach. Flandre trodded through the shores almost aimlessly, wanting nothing more but to be in the safety of the basement below the mansion. But - this was a safe, serene view, wasn't it?

The weakness of her body did nothing to improve the mood. Her wings had no interest in flying after what she had been through, and she was still uncertain on how she happened upon this endless land. It was at that moment she noticed a tiny figure further west, still in the direction of the sun. Alerted with a flood of relief, Flandre broke into a slightly paining run, gathering as much oxygen into her lungs and the most wind she could find to quicken her pace. As she had gotten closer, more details were shown: a round, flawless black hat, a faded skirt with the colour resembling that of celery and flowers combined, a yellow shirt with a dark-green collar, and a warm yet mysterious aura.

'H-Hello?!' Flandre cried out, catching her breath when she stopped. The figure didn't seem to notice the calling voice of the vampire, so Flandre trotted as far as she could, leaving one more yell, and soon dropped onto the sand.

Koishi watched the sunset for what seemed hours. The winged, blonde-haired girl wasn't going to wake up, or so she thought, before the sleeping one began to flicker with life. Koishi watched upon her with significant relief, then stared. What was a young, perfect creature doing upon this coast before the watery distance? But Koishi remembered - she was inviting inhabitants of Gensokyo at random to visit her in this desolate place. This girl, however, felt to Koishi like she was spot on with her criterion. The slumbering princess's skin was gentle and soft, Koishi could tell, when she brought her closer to the coast after she collapsed. Koishi wondered the same about the girl's heart.

When she came to, Koishi managed not to flinch. The smaller one looked so delicate that even the slightest bit of fear or panic in the atmosphere would cause her to shatter.

'Where… where am I…?' the winged girl questioned. Koishi, sitting in her original position and in her original fashion, edged closer and placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

'You're… okay. You're safe.' Resting her hand on the girl's sleeve, Koishi stared into the opening eyes of a vampire. Deep inside the irises of the vampire, Koishi could tell that the red eyes were opening without the intention of harm. They were perfectly docile in her mind.

The girl raised herself upright, rubbing her eyes with a childlike motion.

'Onee-sama…?' she asked, turning dazily to Koishi.

'I'm… I'm not onee-sama. My older sister is to me, but...' She shook her head hopelessly. 'Ehm, what's your name?'

'My name…?' the vampire asked, seeming as though she was talking in her sleep. 'Flandre...'

'Flandre, mhm… can I call you Flan, if that's fine?'

'Uh-huh...' Flandre nodded. 'What's yours?'

'I'm Komeiji Koishi, but you can call me anything you like.'

'Koishi… Koi - like the fish? Koi?'

Koishi nodded with a gentle smile. 'Sure.'

'I see...' Flandre murmured, eyes floating down to observe the rippling ocean.

'I wonder if your second name is Scarlet. That would suit your outfit and eye colour.'

Flandre blinked upon hearing the statements. 'Scarlet is my second name.'

'Oh… is it? That's a joy!' Koishi giggled, eliciting a smaller laugh from Flandre. 'You're certainly quiet for someone who just popped up here.'

Flandre raised her head a little, meeting Koishi's green eyes. 'I am…?'

Koishi nodded. 'Mm-hmm.'

Flandre thought it over, but let the idea waft away. She watched the sunset, feeling a growing awe in her chest.

It was sunset.

Koishi yawned a little, huddling closer to her raised knees. Flandre stared off, waddling her bare feet playfully in the moving ocean. Nudging her hat up slightly, Koishi looked at Flandre. The vampire didn't take any notice, so the _satori_ began her memoir without too much of a flush.

'I live in the ground. The Palace of the Earth Spirits - Chireiden. Have you heard of that place before? It's located in Gensokyo, where you and I normally reside. It's a very warm place, uncomfortable for some, but right for us. Since you - you happen to be a vampire, don't you? You wouldn't do very well in the deepest depths of Chireiden, but I can assure you that many of the spirits, however evil and 'deep' they are, happen to be quite friendly. I don't talk much to them, but I understand their motives for if they turn evil. They are never evil to my regards.'

As Koishi spoke, Flandre turned her head to the _satori_, mouth narrowly agape in wonder at this newfound story. Stories always left Flandre confounded; it seemed nice to be anywhere other than the basement - and living there.

'Satori and I - Satori is my older sister, named after what she is: a _satori!_ - live in Chireiden with some pets, most notable ones being Reiuji Utsuho and Kaenbyou Rin. There are some others you can meet there: Hoshiguma, Mizuhashi, Kisume - you'll just have to go there yourself one day, and hopefully protected, too.

'Life in Chireiden, for myself and my sister, isn't as pretty as it sounds. After a few incidents, either on the surface of Gensokyo or below, Satori and I were made to stay where we were within the palace, perhaps doomed for centuries and unable to seek outside life. Of course, we were allowed one or two times a trip to the upper ground, but not necessarily always. It's a bit of a shame.'

Koishi sighed.

'Since then, after yet another incident, I have been seeking friendship I can hold onto. I… got into negative terms with someone, and while I hope that would calm itself, I want to spread love, kindness, joy - anything that can be of use to anyone. To ease the pain of the hate conjured up between that person and I, I will try… anything.'

Koishi fought away her own tears. Flandre looked sadly - sympathetically - into Koishi's green eyes.

'Koi-chan, I...'

'H-Huh, Flan?'

'I feel the same way.'

Koishi looked back at Flandre, feeling a mixture of emotion beneath her emerald facade of neutrality.

'Onee-sama… always keeps me in the basement. The basement in - um… a place called the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It's near another place: Misty Lake. Fairies wander around there. Onee-sama, she… she has good intentions, but… but the only friends I have are the girls at the lake. I want to… have more friends… so I can love them, love them as much as I can, and never forget them once...'

Flandre struggled to describe her emotion in her own words fluently - the events piled up miserably atop her heart. She lowered her head gloomily.

'Sorry, I didn't...' she began, and then sniffled quietly. She continued, 'I didn't want to look like I'm the only one who's lonely and depressed and forgotten in this shell… because… Ms. Koi-chan, we can...' Staring straight into Koishi's eyes, Flandre braced herself stubbornly. 'We can be friends, right? Forever?'

The _satori_, refusing to show shock or fearful amazement from Flandre's proposal, watched the vampire closely and nodded. She nodded with a simple stroke, but with a simple stroke that told a thousand words, because simply, that's what Koishi thought she could describe her feelings with. Her palm fluttered to Flandre's, and she held it tightly.

'Forever, Flan. Forever.'

A flock of seagulls fluttered overhead, circling airborne and then disappearing off into the distance. The sunset that was beautifully overwhelming once had turned into nothing but a speck of ethereal luminosity below the horizon. It still existed in Koishi's mind - the sun in full bloom, leaving her awash with great comfort and radiance. For Flandre, it was but the nemesis of her race as a vampire. Oddly, the bright sun did nothing to the vampire in this world - perhaps it was because she was well adapted to suffering detriment from the sun in her home universe. Koishi wasn't certain about that, either.

Flandre rested her head on Koishi's right shoulder, taking in long and deep breaths to remain conscious and aware. Koishi felt brilliantly comforted by this touching notion, smiling happily as she returned the gesture.

In time, she broke the silence.

'Won't your onee-sama be worried about you, Flan?'

Flandre gasped. The Outside World's time worked similarly to Gensokyo's, did it not?

'I… I… Maybe…' She blinked incredulously. It was morning moments ago, and now it was evening?

'You should get home, then. I'll take you home; to your basement.'

Flandre shivered with great anxiety. 'B-B-But...'

'Yes, Flan?'

'Koi-chan… what if onee-sama finds out I was gone?'

Koishi thought to herself for a moment. 'Does onee-sama sleep in the basement too?'

'She's the… head mistress.'

'I suppose she wouldn't find out, then. Unless she's intensively worried about you, but you made sure that isn't the case, right?'

'I did…?'

Koishi winked. 'Don't worry about it, Flan. Worry only escalates the negativity in a problem.'

Flandre nodded in her half-hearted embrace. 'O-Okay...'

Turning to Flandre, Koishi placed her hands on Flandre's shoulders.

'Okay. This is a little trick I learned - stare closely into my eyes.'

Flandre, hesitating still, nodded again, and entranced Koishi with her lovable eyes.

'Don't lose focus, Flan...' Giving the nature of Flandre, Koishi was almost certain that the vampire was bound to lose focus. As she did, of course, Koishi leaned slowly in, and nuzzled her warm lips against the soft texture of Flandre's cheek. Her hands pushed Flandre in from her back, holding her comfortably in a pleasant hug.

'Sleep well, dear princess. I'll meet you again someday.'

...

It was morning again when Flandre awakened.

Turning around frantically, the small vampire found no presence of a person, no girl that appeared to be her age hugging her tightly, nothing…

Flandre sighed, looking at the mess of the bedsheet she had created at her feet. It felt like nothing had happened at all, like nothing lingered from the experience Flandre went through - nothing except the gentle feeling on her left cheek.


End file.
